Greensburg YWCA panel to discuss messages in Amanda Gorman poetry

The poetry anthology of Amanda Gorman will be discussed by a local NAACP official, a college professor and three young adults at 6:30 p.m. May 25 at the Greensburg YWCA, 424 N. Main St.

The panel discussion of “Call Us What We Carry” will feature Ruth Tolbert, president of the Jeannette-Greensburg Chapter of the NAACP, and Christopher Davis, an English professor who teaches a hip-hop course at Westmoreland County Community College near Youngwood. Three other panelists are N’Dia Smith, a college graduate; Gabrielle Skillings, an online college student working in health care in Pittsburgh; and Tomaso Contreres Barnette, a student at the University of Pittsburgh.

Those at the program will be shown the Inauguration Day performance of the Harvard-educated Gorman, 24, of Los Angeles, and then hear a reading from her poetry anthology. A discussion about Gorman’s message of hope and responsibility will follow.

Michelle Toohey, who is coordinating the program for the YWCA Racial Justice Committee, said the discussion will touch on the meaning behind the poem written by Gorman, the youngest poet to perform at a presidential inauguration. What seemed like simple verses on a page were brought to life through her gestures, facial expressions and the cadence of her words, Toohey noted.

The presentation supports the YWCA mission to promote “peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all,” said Carol Palcic, executive director of the Greensburg YWCA. It is the second program in the YWCA series “Healthy Conversations.”

Those who plan to attend should register by calling 724-834-9390.